The Prologue from Ohrid: March 10
1. THE HOLY MARTYR CODRATUS OF CORINTH AND OTHERS WITH
HIM
During the time of the persecution of Christians, many of the faithful fled
to the mountains and into the caves. So did the mother of Codratus. She was
pregnant at the time and gave birth to Codratus in the forest and died shortly
thereafter. Codratus was cared for by, fed by and guided by Divine Providence
and by his Guardian Angel. Codratus grew up in nature and in solitude. He, who
gave manna from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness, dropped from the
clouds a sweet dew on the mouth of the child Codratus. When he was twelve years
old, he entered into town and there some benevolent men took a liking to him and
provided him with an education. He studied medicine and healed the sick, as much
with natural cures and even more by the power of the spirit and prayer, which he
was accustomed to since his childhood. When a new persecution arose again under
Decius, Codratus was brought to trial and cast into prison. Five companions
joined him and confessed the name of Christ. They were Cyprian, Dionysius,
Anectus, Paul and Crescens. They were all dragged through the streets by the
pagans, especially by their children. They were beaten with rods and stoned
until they were eventually dragged to the scaffold. There, the martyrs prayed to
God and were beheaded. On this spot a source of watergushed out of the ground
which is still called Codratus even today and is a reminder of the heroic deaths
of these six holy innocents for Christ. They honorably suffered for the truth in
the year 250 A.D. in Corinth during the reign of Emperor Decius and his
governor, Jason.
2. THE HOLY MARTYR CODRATUS OF
NICOMEDIA
He was a wealthy nobleman and at the same time a staunch baptized Christian.
During time of persecution when Valerian imprisoned many Christians, Codratus
bribed the jailers and entered the prison bringing with him various foodstuffs
for those in captivity and strengthened them in their faith. When they were
brought before the judge who questioned them about their names, their homeland,
and their rank, they remained silent. Then Codratus suddenly appeared behind
them and cried out with a loud voice, "By name, we are Christians; servants of
Jesus Christ the Lord, by title and by birth; and our city and homeland is
heaven." After this declaration, he was also arrested and after prolonged and
cruel torture was beheaded with the others.
3. THE VENERABLE MOTHER ANASTASIA
Anastasia was a patrician and lady of the imperial palace of Emperor
Justinian. After she was widowed and when she perceived that Empress Theodora
could not tolerate her, she immediately slipped out of Constantinople and turned
up in the wilderness of Egypt. The renown spiritual father Abba Daniel tonsured
her a nun and presented her as the monk Anastasius the eunuch according to her
wishes so that, as a woman under the guise of a man, she could easily be
protected and hidden from the pursuit of the emperor. Anastasia then closed
herself off in a narrow cell where she spent twenty-eight years and died there
in the year 563 A.D. Before her death, the Elder Daniel saw her face glow like
the sun.
HYMN OF PRAISE
SAINT ANASTASIA
One time, a glorious patrician Venerable Anastasia,
Money, flattery, abandoned she all,
To Christ, her entire life she directed;
Christ, her bread; Christ, her water;
Christ, her joy and freedom,
Christ, the restorer of her soul,
Christ, the bridge over death.
Anastasia became shriveled,
The spirit through her withered face shines;
The spirit raises her higher to God,
With the spirit of God, she breathes,
Until illuminated, she became,
By Grace enlightened,
By the power of God strengthened
And among the Living inscribed.
All she forgave, all she loved,
And for the entire world, she prays,
Like an angel, she was indeed,
Wholly fixed on Christ;
By the power of God, more powerful was she
And by riches, more wealthy
Than the Empress Theodora
Amidst the opulence of the imperial court.
REFLECTION
When the forty-two Greek commanders from Ammoria were in Agaha's prison
[refer to March 6], certain Muslim sages came to counsel them to embrace the
faith of Mohammed and thereby receive their freedom. These sages stressed to
theseChristian commanders the two advantages of Islam over Christianity:
First: Mohammed is a more recent prophet than Christ and, Second:
the Muslims were victorious on all sides over Christianity by which God clearly
points out the truth of their religion. To the first point, the
commanders replied, "If two men are debating over a field, and one has many
witnesses that the field is his and the other does not have any witnesses except
his own personal statement, what do you think? Whose field is it?" To this the
Agha's men replied, "By all means, the field is his who had many witnesses." To
that, the commanders replied, "By yourselves you have judged in favor of Christ
and against Mohammed for Christ had with Him the witnesses of all the Prophets
and Apostles, but Mohammed alone witnesses to himself." To the second
point, the commanders replied, "If you would gauge the truth of a faith by
victories in wars, then this would mean that all the idolatrous nations, who
from time to time have conquered the world, such as the Persians, Greeks, Romans
and others, possessed the true faith. This, even you Muslims would never
acknowledge. And because you have been victorious over the Christians now, this
does not mean that your faith is better; rather, that our sins are greater and
because of this, God punishes us, through you."
CONTEMPLATION
To contemplate the Lord Jesus at judgment before Caiaphas:
1. How the elders of the Jews searched everywhere for false witnesses;
2. How the witnesses testified to the contrary;
3. How our Lord listened to all the slanders and remained silent and without
anger.
HOMILY
About revealed secrets
"Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed nor secret that will
not be made known" (St. Matthew 10:26).
There is one eye, brethren, which never sleeps. That is the eye of God. There
are more eyes in the heavens, brethren, than there are stars in the firmament of
heaven. They are the eyes of the angels. No veil nor any wall nor darkness can
conceal any kind of secret on earth from these eyes. Everything is revealed and
open before the All-Seeing God and His Holy Angels. The man who believes that
all the works of man can be hidden becomes a criminal. Thus thought the elders
of the Jews who arranged and plotted in secrecy their evil plot against Christ
the Lord. Secretly they persecuted Him; secretly they judged Him in the darkness
of night; and secretly they bribed and paid false witnesses. And, as did Judas,
they secretly condemned Him. Where are their secrets today? All have become
revealed and open before the entire world. It is easier for man to hide from the
air than from the sight of God. All the secrets of mankind, both, the good and
evil, are revealed before God. A countless number of those secrets God reveals
to the entire world according to His Providence. Those who can understand this
truth, that God sees all and knows all, carefully guard themselves from evil
thoughts in the secret of their hearts and especially from evil deeds. Whenever
your heart entices you to do evil, O man, call to mind these words which are not
of man but of God, "Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed nor secret
that will not be made known." And you, whatever good you do in secret, do
not become faint-hearted. All of your good is written in the heavens and will be
revealed in its time.
O, All-Seeing Lord, help us and save us.
To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.